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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Superman and Spider-Man: A Brief Origin of Super-Hero Video Games

Superman and Spider-Man: A Brief Origin of Super-Hero Video Games

From
the late 1980s to the present, the super-hero genre has been a constant of the
video game industry, with games based on Batman, The X-Men, The Punisher, The
Fantastic Four, Spawn, and other spandex-clad vigilantes jockeying for shelf
space alongside such purely original creations as The Legend of Zelda, Resident
Evil, and Grand Theft Auto. Recent titles, such as Batman: Arkham City and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, are unbelievably realistic,
giving gamers the uncanny sensation of assuming the roles of their favorite
comic book heroes. The gorgeous graphics, stereo quality sounds, and intricate
gameplay of these and other modern video games are truly startling for those of
us who remember an era when the industry was in its Golden Age and
comparatively primitive efforts such as Space Invaders (1978) and Asteroids
(1979) were considered modern marvels of the digital age. It was around this
time that the marriage between comic books and video games was born.

Most
everyone knows that Superman was the very first honest-to-goodness super-hero,
making his official debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. Less well known
is the fact that he was the first super-hero to appear in a video game.
Produced by Atari for release in 1979, Superman for the Atari 2600 (then
known as the Atari Video Computer System) puts players in control of a blocky
though colorfully recognizable rendition of the title character, who comes
equipped with three of his vaunted super-powers: super-strength, flying
ability, and x-ray vision. The Man of Steel must repair the MetropolisMemorialBridge and take Lex
Luthor and his five henchmen to jail. Kryptonite is present, but a kiss from Lois Lane will
restore Superman’s powers. With its multiple screens, varied objectives,
detailed backgrounds (featuring the Metropolis skyline), and challenging
gameplay, Superman is a fondly remembered classic.

As
so often happens in the comic book industry, with Marvel following DC (and vice
versa), Spider-Man was the second super-hero video game. Published by
Parker Brothers in 1982 for the Atari 2600, the game has Green Goblin planting
bombs atop skyscrapers in New York
City. Players must guide a climbing, web-slinging Spider-Man
to the tops of the buildings, defusing bombs and capturing criminals appearing
in windows along the way.

Spidey is a red and blue stick figure comprised of
blocks, and the controls take some getting used to, but the game is a fairly enjoyable Crazy Climber knockoff
nonetheless. A few slugfests with the Goblin would’ve given Spider-Man more entertainment value, but
as with the Superman game, the action is entirely devoid of fisticuffs. This was back in the day when the fighting game had yet to surface as a genre.

Today, the original Superman
and Spider-Man cartridges aren’t considered rare and can be found on
eBay for around seven bucks each. Even in near mint condition with original box
and instruction manual, the games shouldn’t run more than 25-30 bucks apiece
(although the Sears release of Superman
is extremely rare and can easily fetch more than $100). In terms of playability
and production values, the games are clunky and crude (if somewhat entertaining) by modern standards and
will hardly convince players that a man can fly or spin webbing. However, for
collectors looking to expand their collections beyond the typical assortment of
comics, action figures, cards, and the like, Superman and Spider-Man
for the Atari 2600 are interesting bits of video game and super-hero history.

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About Me

A freelance writer, I'm the author of the Classic Home Video Games series, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, Encyclopedia of KISS, and other books. I've had articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Filmfax, Fangoria, AntiqueWeek, The Writer, Mystery Scene, and more.
Contact me at brettw105 AT sbcglobal.net.